


Bullies

by TooAttachedToDelete



Series: Dan and Phil One Shots [5]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Bullying, But not by our boys, Cute Dan Howell/Phil Lester, Happy Ending, Homophobia, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Phil, Sexual Harrassment, also kind of funny at the end, anti-bullying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 15:46:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15270843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TooAttachedToDelete/pseuds/TooAttachedToDelete
Summary: Dan and Phil are out shopping when they come face to face with one of Dan's old bullies. Dan is nervous, Phil is angry.





	Bullies

**Author's Note:**

> This work contains references to past bullying, past and present homophobia as well as homophobic insults and sexual harassment. But it ends with some pretty uplifting things, at least to me.

They’re in line at Starbucks when Dan grabs Phil’s arm and pulls him close.

“You see that guy sitting at the window?”

Phil turns and tries to check the man out without giving away that he’s staring.

“Stop being so obvious!” Dan hisses.

The man is around their age, Phil guesses, he’s bald and kind of stocky, wearing a stained white shirt and trackies.

“What about him?” Phil whispers.

“We went to school together.”

“Is he an old friend?” Phil asks, a smile crossing his face.

Dan scrunches his face up, “I wouldn’t say that. Though he did have some cute nicknames for me.”

“Like what?”

“Oh you know,”Dan says, his voice bitter, “Emo freak, loser, faggot”

Phil flinches at the words. “Is he one of the one’s who…”

“Threw rocks at me? Yeah. Also cornered me in a locker room once and asked me to suck his cock.”

Phil whirls around to look at Dan, “What?”

“Nothing happened. He just said, “Since you like cock so much, I thought I’d be nice and let you suck mine.”

“Did he make you?” Phil whispers fiercely through gritted teeth.

“No. He just laughed and said “I bet you’d actually do it, queer. Maybe next time.” and just wandered off.”

Phil looks down at his arm, where Dan is gripping tightly. “Do you wanna leave?”

Dan gives him a look of indignation. “No! It’s been at least 12 years. I should be over this by now. I’m not gonna let him ruin Starbucks for us.”

Phil turns toward the counter again, gently coaxing Dan’s eyes away from the bully at the window.

“If you wanna leave, let me know.” He whispers to Dan, who still has a hold on his arm.

Dan shrugs and faces forward, a look of determination on his face, “No Phil, I’m good.”

The line eventually shortens and they’re almost to the corner when a voice pops up, “Holy shit? Is that Danny Howell?”

“Fuck!” Dan curses under his breath. He looks across from Phil and sees his old bully staring right at him.

Phil also turns and spots him and then huddles as close as he can to Dan, “We can leave”

“No, I don’t want to let him know how much he got to me. I wanna show him I’m not the skinny closeted depressed mess I was.”

They turn almost simultaneously (it’s disgusting how in sync they are) and face one of Dan’s tormentors.

He’s smiling kindly, his hand forward waiting for a handshake. Dan uses the hand not holding onto Phil to give the man’s hand a short shake and then pull away fast.

“Man, I never thought Danny Howell would grow up and become fucking famous! Congrats man!”

The bully turns to Phil. “I’m Roger, nice to meet you.” He holds the same hand out to Phil and Phil makes a scene of purposefully sticking both hands into his pockets. “I’m Phil.”

“You can’t believe how shocking it was to see Danny Howell on TV being interviewed about writing a book. And going on a world tour? How in the hell did that happen?”

Dan opens his mouth to speak but Phil cuts him off, “Dan works really hard. He spent years making videos and then making videos with me and eventually we grew a fan-base. With luck and hard work, we’ve made pretty good lives for ourselves.”

Roger smiles at that and then looks down to where Dan has Phil’s arm in a vice-grip. “So you’re both creative...partners huh?”

Dan quickly removes his hand from Phil’s arm and Phil is shocked to see Dan shy away from him.

Dan shies away from everyone. Phil hasn’t seen Dan this scared in unsure in years.

It’s like all the progress he has made, all the growth he has had, has all gone away.

Phil didn’t know Dan then, but he’s pretty sure it was high school Dan beside him now.

Phil reaches down and grabs Dan’s hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “We’re everything partners, Roger.”

Roger looks from Dan to Phil and smiles again, only this one is much less friendly. “I knew it!” He exclaims. “I always knew you were faggy! I fucking knew it! All the fame and money and you’re still faggy Danny Howell.”

Dan flinches at that and pulls at Phil’s hand, trying to make him leave.

But Phil roots himself and turns Roger. “First, no one calls him Danny. It’s Dan or Daniel. Though you should probably be calling him “Mr. Howell” as in “Mr. Howell, please forgive me for being a homophobic psychopath in high school.”

Roger opens his mouth to speak and Phil holds up a hand. “I’m not finished. And the fact that you almost forced him into oral sex? Is that the only way you can get anyone to go down on you?”

Roger’s face lights up in indignation but Phil buts in again, “And though you haven’t changed since high school, Dan has. He’s more confident, happy and successful than he’s ever been and you ever will be. “

Dan tugs at Phil’s hand hard and whispers, “Let’s go! Please I just wanna leave.”

Phil let’s Dan tug him toward the door and before they leave he turns back, “And you know what, Roger? You can just...”

And here Phil falters. He doubts he’s ever said this to anyone. “Roger? You can go _fuck_ yourself!”

Phil turns away and lets a shocked Dan pull him out the door.

 

They walk a few blocks before Dan speaks. “Did I really just hear cinnamon bun Phil Lester tell someone to go _fuck_ themselves? Is this some sort of weird dream?” Dan sounds almost in awe.

Phil ducks his head to hide his embarrassment. “I’ve never said that to anyone before. I just...he really should.”

“Should what, Phil?” Dan asks, sounding playful.

“He should go _fuck_ himself.” Phil whispers.

Dan bursts out laughing. “Not a single person is gonna believe I just heard you say that. Twice now!”

“Well, he really made me mad is all,” Phil says, rubbing the back of his neck self consciously.

“But to tell someone, loudly and in public to go _fuck_ themselves? Phil...I’m a bad influence on you.”

Phil looks at him, “You think so?”

Dan considers it and says, “Either that or I’m a really good influence on you.”

“The way I see it Dan, all those kids who threw rocks at you? Can go fuck themselves.” Phil says with a shrug.

“Oh yeah?” Dan says, smiling.

“And your psycho teachers? Can go fuck themselves.”

Dan scoffs, “The fact that I’ve had more than one psycho teacher says a lot. Though about me or the education system, I’m not sure.”

Then he elbows Phil’s side, playfully, “Your sadistic personal trainer? Well he can go fuck himself. With a cactus.”

Phil flinches, “Ow.”

“It’s what he deserves.”

Phil elbows Dan in return, “Well anyone who’s ever called you the ‘f’ word? Well I’ve got another f word for them. They can go _fuck_ themselves!”

Dan raises their joined hands in the air and loudly exclaims, “Anyone who says the ‘f’ word? CAN GO FUCK THEMSELVES!”

“Yeah!” Phil cheers on.

“Bullies of any kind? CAN GO FUCK THEMSELVES!”

“People who tell others to kill themselves?” Phil says and then continues, “Well they can go _fuck_ themselves.”

“Anyone, anywhere who puts their energy until putting others down instead of building them up?” Dan says and then he and Phil say at the same time, “CAN GO FUCK THEMSELVES!”

An elderly lady who is walking by turns and gives them a look and they dissolve into giggles as they walk away.

“Judgmental old ladies can go fuck themselves too,” Phil says with a smile.

“Damn straight.”


End file.
